Municipal manager Bill Shepetuk said those factors can be attributed to town taxpayers not having the dollars they did before Tropical Storm Irene devastated the community.

Currently, there are two full-time officers, a handful of part-timers, and a part-time administrator.

Chief Joby Feccia said his department is understaffed and because of it, officers are doing office duties on top of their usual duties and cannot focus on patrolling alone.

Feccia would like to see three more full-time officers and a full-time administrator, but said that would not likely be realistic.

Shepetuk said that the lack of staffing is a concern, but with residents still struggling with rebuilding after Irene, reduced property values because of the storm, and the absence of state employees, times are tough.

"If I'm here (in the office), I can't be out there (on the street). And if I'm out there, I can't be in here. The officer-initiated stuff, those numbers have gone down. Tickets, we're just not writing the tickets that we used to because we're not making the stops," said Feccia.

According to the department, there is approximately $1,500 worth of unpaid parking tickets that the police have not been able to get the time to check up on them

The department is in the process of hiring a third full-time officer. However, due to police academy training, that person would not be able to world until spring of 2014 at the earliest.

STAYING WITH US TONIGHT - I'M DAVID SCHNEIDER. BRIDGET IS OFF. IT'S NO SECRET THAT WATERBURY TOOK A HEAVY HIT AFTER TROPICAL STORM IRENE ... BUT NOW TOWN OFFICIALS SAY IT'S HAVING A RESIDUAL EFFECT ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S ABILITY TO DO ITS JOB... WPTZ'S VANESSA MISCIAGNA IS LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM WITH MORE, VANESSA? THANKS DAVID... THE WATERBURY POLICE DEPARTMENT IS OPERATING WITH A DIMINISHED BUDGET AND HALF THE FULL TIME OFFICERS IT DID ONLY A FEW YEARS AGO. THE TOWN MANAGER SAYS IT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED TO TAX PAYERS NOT HAVING THE DOLLARS THEY DID BEFORE IRENE. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE TWO FULL TIME OFFICERS, A HANDFULL OF PARTIMERS AND A PART TIME ADMINSTRATOR. CHIEF JOBY FEESHA SAYS BECAUSE OF IT, OFFICERS ARE DOING OFFICE DUTIES INDEAD OF FOCUSING ON JUST PATROLLING. FEESHA WOULD LIKE TO SEE THREE MORE FULL TIME OFFICERS ADDED, BUT KNOWS THAT MAY NOT BE REALISTIC. TOWN MANAGER BILL SHEPETUK SAYS THE UNDER STAFFING IS A CONCERN, BUT WITH RESIDENTS STLL STRUGGING WITH EBUILDINGAFTER THE TROPICAL STORM, REDUCED PROPERTY VALUES, AND THE ABSENSE OF STATE EMPLOYEES... TIMES ARE TOUGH... "if im in here, I can't be out there, if im out there, I can't be in here. The officer initiated stuff....duis's dri without a license, arrest warrants" ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT, ACCORDING TO THE DEPARTMENT, THERE IS AROUND FIFTEEN HUNDRED DOLLARS WORTH OF UNPAID PARKING TICKETS THAT THE POLICE JUST HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO CHECK UP ON NOW THERE IS SOME RELIEF ON THE WAY... THE DEPARTMENT IS IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING ANOTHER FULL TIME OFFICER, BUT DUE TO ACADEMY TRAINING, THAT PERSON WON'T BE ABLE TO START TIL THE SPRING. AND NEXT WEEK, THE PART TIME ADMINISTRATOR IS LEAVING THE JOB, AND CHIEF FEESHA SAYS THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO HIRE A NEW ONE UNTIL THE NEW BUDGET IS VOTED ON .... NEXT YEAR. LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM, VANESSA MISCIAGNA, TODAY, ONE DEPARTMENT IN